No-first-use nuke policy: ‘It depends’

Defence minister hints at major policy change as he pays tribute to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his first death anniversary in Pokhran.

NEW DELHI Defence minister Rajnath Singh hinted at a major policy shift vis-à-vis use of nuclear weapons on Friday as he announced that India’s hands could no longer remain tied by ‘no first use’ policy — a decision taken two decades ago.

Sending a strong message to Pakistan, Singh said while India remained “firmly committed” to the doctrine of ‘no first use’ for nuclear weapons, what happens in future depends on circumstances.

He made the announcement through a series of tweets after visiting Pokhran where India carried out nuclear tests in 1998 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister. He was in Pokhran to mark Vajpaeeyi’s first death anniversary.

“Pokhran is the area which witnessed Atal Ji’s firm resolve to make India a nuclear power and yet remained firmly committed to the doctrine of ‘no first use’. India has strictly adhered to this doctrine. What happens in future depends on circumstances,” he said.

“India attaining the status of a responsible nuclear nation became a matter of national pride for every citizen of this country. The nation will remain indebted to the greatness of Atal Ji,” he added.

Interestingly, the defence minister’s tweets hinting at a change in India’s nuclear policy came on a day the UN Security Council was meeting informally in the evening — at China’s request — to consider and discuss developments in Kashmir. Which is why it led some Opposition parties like the CPI to even suggest that nuclear policy shift was being announced on Friday perhaps as part of “news headline management”.

Even the Congress, which largely endorsed ‘No First Use’, made it clear it would not come out backing the government unless it had more details of Singh’s announcement. “Nuclear power has to be responsibly used. When you are close by, nuclear weapons is not a good idea,” said former foreign minister Salman Khurshid.

Diplomats in Delhi pointed how Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had asked Pakistanis to not live in a “fool’s paradise” by expecting United Nations Security Council to “wait with garlands” to support Islamabad’s contentions regarding India’s decision to abrogate Kashmir’s special status.

Rajnath Singh pays tribute to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his first death anniversary, at Pokhran.